Media bias feared in local election<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
The scene in the Jawa Pos newsroom on Monday evening was no
\ndifferent from most evenings. Dozens of journalists sat in front
\nof computers typing out stories ahead of the deadline.<\/p>\n
Editors moved around the room, checking on stories and once in
\na while looking at the layout monitor.<\/p>\n
\"Frankly speaking, we are somewhat confused about will become
\nof the paper if Mas Arif runs in the regional elections,\" a
\nreporter told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Arif Affandi, editor in chief of the Jawa Pos daily, could run
\nas deputy mayor of Surabaya alongside mayoral candidate Bambang
\nDwi Hartono, who would be seeking reelection.<\/p>\n
Like other candidates contesting the election in June this
\nyear, Bambang and Arif have been screened by their party, in this
\ncase the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), in the
\nSurabaya municipal council.<\/p>\n
However, Henry Subiyakto, a member of the Media Consumers
\nAssociation and a communications expert at Surabaya's Airlangga
\nUniversity, said there was a larger issue at stake in Arif's
\nproposed candidacy.<\/p>\n
\"Arif Affandi's position as editor in chief of the Jawa Pos
\nwould be jeopardized. How could he maintain a fair press if he
\nwas elected as deputy mayor of Surabaya?\" asked Henry.<\/p>\n
Regional elections are scheduled to take place in nearly every
\nprovince this year, and experts believe these elections will test
\nthe freedom and fairness of the press, especially local media.<\/p>\n
In East Java, 16 of 38 regions will hold elections in 2005.
\nAnd like it or not, candidates will make approaches to the media
\nto improve their images and get their names out among the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
The issue is more complicated if there are journalists
\ninvolved on the campaign team of a candidate, or if a member of
\nthe press is a candidate him or herself, like Arif Affandi. Henry
\nis concerned the Jawa Pos, which has the largest circulation in
\nEast Java, will be biased in its news coverage during the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"The public will ridicule a paper that covers a candidate who
\nis also its editor in chief,\" he said. One solution proposed by
\nHenry was for Arif Affandi to take a temporary leave of absence
\nfrom the paper.<\/p>\n
However, Arif laughed when the Post asked him for confirmation
\nof his candidacy as deputy mayor of Surabaya.<\/p>\n
\"Ha, ha, why is there such a brouhaha over my candidacy.
\nSurabaya is a big city like Singapore. I only wish to exercise my
\npolitical rights.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever the outcome, I couldn't care less. I just want
\nSurabaya to flourish and the candidacy is a means to achieve
\nthat,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Regarding his position at the Jawa Pos, Arif said he believed
\nthe paper could position itself during the election.<\/p>\n
\"But I would probably step down temporarily as editor in chief
\nwhen the race starts. Thus, the paper would not be affected by my
\ncandidacy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Arif's case is certainly not the only one of politicians and
\nthe media becoming tangled together.<\/p>\n
Other candidates in Surabaya have already begun to woo the
\npress using all possible means. A TV reporter in East Java said
\none candidate had offered him the chance to become a member of an
\nimage building team at the TV station he works at.<\/p>\n
\"The offer came two weeks ago, but I haven't replied yet,\" he
\nsaid, adding that many journalists had became informal members of
\none candidate's election team.<\/p>\n
The head of the Surabaya branch of the Alliance of Independent
\nJournalists, Sunudyantoro, expressed concern that some members of
\nthe media in Surabaya were already biased in their coverage of
\ncandidates of the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n
\"There are already covert campaigns for certain candidates in
\nsome media coverage,\" said Sunu.<\/p>\n
\"It is natural for candidates to approach the media and it is
\nup to the media itself to decide whether it will remain
\nimpartial in its news coverage during the election. In the end,
\nthe public will judge which media outlets were impartial in their
\ncoverage,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sunu supports journalists who want to contest elections. \"But
\nfor the sake of impartiality, the journalists, including Arif
\nAffandi, must first take a leave of absence.\"<\/p>",
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